


Quantum Theory, Forks in the Road and Jack O'Neill

by Sue Corkill (mscorkill)



Series: 2010 Fic Project [3]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-07
Updated: 2012-04-07
Packaged: 2017-11-03 05:07:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/377620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mscorkill/pseuds/Sue%20Corkill
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam Carter and Jack O'Neill reach a fork in the road after the mission to save the alternate reality Earth from the Goa'uld.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quantum Theory, Forks in the Road and Jack O'Neill

**Author's Note:**

> The March installment of 10+2 in 2010. Set during the season three episode Point of View.
> 
> Originally posted March 2010

QUANTUM THEORY, FORKS IN THE ROAD AND JACK O’NEILL

“So, what’s he like?”

“Who?” Sam didn’t look up from the delicate operation she was performing on the power source of the staff weapon. Looking through her magnifying loops and barely breathing, she carefully disconnected the fragile circuits.

“Your Jack, silly. Who else?”

Sam did look up then, the smiling face of Doctor Samantha Carter loomed drunkenly into view, courtesy of the magnifying loops. Sam frowned and looked back down at her work table, absently picking at the few remaining exposed wires. “He’s not my Jack,” she mumbled.

“All right, then. What’s your Colonel O’Neill like?”

This was a conversation she really didn’t want to have with Doctor Carter, widow of another Colonel Jack O’Neill. God, she barely knew how she felt about that most recent bomb which had landed with an explosive thud earlier in the day. She’d been married to him in yet another alternate reality. Sam was starting to feel like her reality was the butt of some big cosmic joke, throwing something she didn’t have in her face. And now, one of them had actually invaded her reality and here they were, working together.

In the last twenty-four hours her life had gone from mostly ordinary to surreal, courtesy of a supposedly dormant piece of alien technology. Of course, on the brighter side, she was at least in her own universe. And thankfully, once they’d started working, bound together by their common love of science, the big chip on Samantha’s shoulder had disappeared. However, her initial enthusiasm was going to fade rapidly if they were going to engage in ‘girl talk’ while they worked.

But Sam also knew herself, so she answered—reluctantly. “He’s okay. A good leader, great instincts.”

“And lots of lame jokes?”

Sam couldn’t help herself, she smiled. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Lots.”

Finished with the delicate work, Sam removed the power source and set it carefully aside. She slipped off the magnifying loops and started cleaning up the remnants of the staff weapon. Doctor Carter was once more elbow deep in the power generator, her long blonde hair swinging down and partially hiding her face. Thank god there hadn’t been any more entropic cascade seizures since the earlier one, when they’d first started working on the generator. It still gave her a weird feeling every time she looked at the other woman, a mixture of curiosity and pity that left her feeling very uncomfortable.

“It was the lame jokes that first caught my attention,” the other woman commented, still concentrating on the generator. “Here was this hard as nails career Air Force Special Forces trained Colonel hitting on me with lame jokes.” She chuckled, shaking her head, her blonde hair swinging into the generator. “I couldn’t believe that the bad-ass Colonel of the SGA was trying to make time with the lady scientist.” Doctor Carter peered around the generator, her smile was bright, though her eyes remained sad. “That’s what he called me, you know, the lady scientist.”

“Did you go out with him right away?” Sam asked, unable to restrain her curiosity about her twin’s relationship with this other O’Neill.

“God, no!” she exclaimed. “I had absolutely no use for a pig-headed chauvinistic soldier who doubted and questioned every word out of my mouth. Thank god for General Hammond.” A brief shadow flashed across her face. “I hope he’s still alive at least.”

“But he did, win you over, I mean,” Sam said into the awkward silence.

“Oh yeah,” she answered readily, the somber mood broken. “Once you get beneath that scientist prejudice of his, there’s an intelligent, thoughtful and caring man.” Doctor Carter gave her another assessing look which had Sam squirming slightly. “Of course, he was damaged goods,” she continued conversationally. “What with Charlie’s death, the whole number his first wife did on him with the divorce, not to mention the Air Force’s willingness to send a suicidal man on a suicidal mission. Will you hand me that micro-screwdriver?” she asked.

Sam picked up the tiny implement and handed it to her, unable to hide her fascination with the turn their conversation had taken. “And that didn’t scare you off?”

Doctor Carter’s smile was bittersweet. “I think at first that I thought I could heal him…or maybe save him.” She looked off into the distance, as if focusing on a scene only she could see, before she slowly answered. “But I think he ended up saving me. Anyway,” she said brightly, reaching for power source Sam had removed, “it didn’t take long for him to win me over.”

Even though Sam rarely acknowledged her complicated feelings for Jack O’Neill, she was very much afraid she knew exactly how the other woman felt. “He was your soul mate.”

Doctor Carter’s smile faded slightly and she nodded, a wistful look filling her face. “Yes, he was. He had me at our first kiss.”

There didn’t seem to be anything Sam could—or would—say to that, so she waited silently while her twin made a series of adjustments to the fitting for the power source when the other woman suddenly peered at her over the generator, a speculative look in her blue eyes. “You can’t tell me that you’ve never wondered what it would be like with him? Never wondered what it would be like to kiss him?”

Sam suddenly felt flushed, it was like she could read her mind; she really didn’t want to think about Doctor Carter kissing a Jack O’Neill, her own thoughts heading straight to the forbidden territory of the one time she had kissed Jack O’Neill. Her memories were a bit hazy, the virus had seen to that, but there were a few things she remembered clearly, the feel and taste of his mouth, the hard press of his body against hers and the response he hadn’t been able to hide. “Of course not,” she retorted, almost desperately. “It’s against regulations—”

“You have kissed him!” Doctor Carter interrupted; her eyes alight with what looked suspiciously like mischief. “I can tell! You’re blushing. Don’t deny it.”

“It was nothing,” Sam said hurriedly, her cheeks warm. “There was this alien virus….”

“Ah, the old alien virus defense,” Doctor Carter teased. She paused in her work, her eyes dreamy. “Even when I didn’t think I liked him, I was still drawn to him. There’s just something about a man in uniform.” She sighed. “And when he smiles? Magnet to steel.”

A heavy silence fell into the room and Sam didn’t know what to say. Of course she’d thought about the Colonel…Jack. What it would be like to be the most important woman in the world to him, to be able to step out of their current relationship and into one more intimate. And she knew she’d be devastated if anything happened to the Colonel. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she finally said.

The woman who looked so much like her yet was so different smiled sadly. “Thank you,” she murmured. She took a shaky breath, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “It’s just so hard. I don’t even know now what I expected it to be like here.”

“That you’d walk into his arms and everything would be okay?”

“Something like that,” she agreed. “I know it sounds cold, but I guess I didn’t expect you to be here.”

There wasn’t much Sam could say to that statement. It was the reality, no matter which fork in the road had brought her and Kawalsky here. Hoping to redirect the course of the conversation, Sam tossed out an idea she’d been toying with ever since they’d started working on the generator. “I’ve been thinking…what we need to make this work is the decay rate of naquadah.”

Doctor Carter looked up, her brow furrowed in concentration. “Makes sense,” she said. “But how are we going to calculate the ratio relative to the energy output?”

It was like a light bulb went off over her head. “Wait! I know how! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Sam pulled her laptop over, quickly searching through her files until she found the one she needed. “Here,” she said, turning the screen towards her twin.

The other woman leaned over, her eyes racing over the display. “This is amazing. Where did you get this?”

Sam chuckled. “From a thirteen year old girl.” Doctor Carter gave her a disbelieving look. “Trust me. It’s a long story…but right now, we need to get this finished so we can get you home.”

“Right…home. Or at least what’s left of it.”

“Samantha, I don’t know what to say. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.” That last statement wasn’t exactly true. She’d seen him close to death…she’d seen him die. It went with the job and intellectually she could accept that…but intellect went out the window each time she’d seen him die, filling her with a grief and disbelief so strong that she was left to wonder how she’d ever survive his death. So yeah…she knew exactly how Doctor Carter felt.

“You’re a liar, Major Carter. You may have fooled everyone else—including yourself—but you can’t fool me.”

Before Sam could respond to the other woman’s outrageous statement, her twin grabbed the edge of the work table, her body contorting in one of the eerie and frightening entropic cascade seizures. Jumping up, she moved to stand behind the other woman, slipping an arm around her waist when the seizure finally ended and helping the trembling woman to sit down in the nearest chair.

“Rest for a minute,” Sam said, squatting down in front of her. Doctor Carter looked even paler, her color almost ashen. “I can take it from here,” Sam reassured her.

“No,” she whispered, opening her eyes. “I can do it.”

Sam realized there would be no point in arguing with the familiar look of determination gleaming dully in her twin’s eyes. “If you’re sure….”

“I’m sure,” she stated, her voice stronger.

Sam nodded and stood up, looking at her curiously when Doctor Carter placed her hand on her arm, stopping her when she turned to go back to the work table. “Are the regulations the only thing keeping you from your Jack O’Neill?”

Sam started to shake her head when a faint smile twitched at her twin’s lips and she said, “No…don’t answer, I can see it in your eyes. We never were any good at lying—except maybe to ourselves.” The hand on her arm tightened, Doctor Carter’s eyes and voice once more deadly serious. “Promise me that when this is all finished you’ll do something about him…how you feel. Trust me, he may not know it yet, but he feels the same way you do. Believe me, your entire life can change in an instant, don’t wait until it’s too late.”

“I don’t know—” Sam’s heart raced and her palms were suddenly sweaty at the mere thought of doing what she suggested. As pathetic as it sounded, there was a bizarre sort of security in having him close and yet still be so unobtainable…because she didn’t have to risk her heart.

“Promise me.” Doctor Carter’s voice quivered with determination.

“What if you’re wrong?” she whispered. Her brain was already racing, calculating all the various ways disaster could strike while ignoring the involuntary thrill that coursed through her at the thought that it could result in her heart’s desire.

“I’m not. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, even if you haven’t.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I'll be here in case you need anything from this side, sir.”

 

Sam didn’t like being left behind while the rest of her team went on a dangerous mission. It didn’t help that science and practicality dictated the make-up of the team. And it was just too weird to watch another version of herself vanish—along with the Colonel—through the quantum mirror. She knew there hadn’t been any other choice, they had to help Doctor Carter and Kawalsky return to their universe. And she prayed her team would return.

The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Sam. She could end up in the same boat as her twin if the mission failed, her life changed in an instant. The only difference would be she’d lose him before she even knew if he was her soul mate. So she waited in the heavily guarded room where their quantum mirror stood, watching the activity on the other side, fear and helpless frustration filling her when the mirror abruptly went dark.

It seemed to take forever, though she knew from the endless times she’d checked her watch that less than an hour had passed before the mirror shimmered into life. In the grand scheme of things, an hour was nothing; standing and waiting for any sign from the other universe, an hour allowed more than enough time for her thoughts to chase around in chaotic circles. Beyond the incredible magnitude of having quantum theory verified, she’d actually encountered another version of herself. She’d had a glimpse of a path she had chosen not to take and after she couldn’t help but wonder now if she’d made the right choice.

She’d never had any doubts before, the sacrifices she’d made had yielded so much more than she’d ever dreamed. And she could have it all…as long as ‘all’ didn’t include her commanding officer. But after seeing her twin, and getting a glimpse into her life, the discontent that Sam usually ignored had reared its head, making a mockery of her sacrifices. Never mind that Doctor Carter’s world was in ruins, she’d had it all for that brief shining moment. Sam had seen it in her eyes, heard it in her voice when she talked about ‘her Jack’ and envy had burned inside of her.

After her mother’s death she’d learned first hand that life wasn’t fair. Things happen, things that can’t be controlled, slicing through your life like atoms splitting, sending the electrons and protons spinning out of control. And then there were the things you could control, harnessing that power and using it. Which brought her careening thoughts full circle, colliding into each other until she knew she’d have to decide. The choice was hers, she could risk it all on the chance that Jack O’Neill was her other half or she could stay safe and secure in a world she knew and could control.

“Ma’am?” Sam was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t hear the SF at first; she’d completely lost track of her surroundings. “The mirror, ma’am,” he said, gesturing with his weapon towards the now-shimmering surface. “It’s activated.”

Relief filled her when she saw them through the mirror; they were all there—Teal’c, Daniel, Kawalsky, Doctor Carter and the Colonel, none of them looking too worse for wear. She couldn’t figure out what was happening at first, but when Kawalsky semi-saluted Teal’c she realized they were saying their goodbyes. The images were hazy, like she was looking at them reflected in water. She could sense relief and satisfaction on all their faces; however a tangible air of sadness surrounded Samantha.

Daniel and Teal’c suddenly blocked her view into the alternate reality, both of them materializing in the room with her. Amidst the subdued congratulations and welcomes, Sam looked back through the mirror, puzzled as to why the Colonel lingered on the other side. It took her longer than it should have to figure out what was happening. Discretion demanded that she look away from the scene unfolding in front of her, but just like in the train wreck cliché, she couldn’t look away.

Confusion and growing disbelief filled her as Sam watched what should have been a private moment. Did she really think that it would be the same? Did she think that they were interchangeable? That because he looked like her Jack O’Neill she could just pretend he was? Sam prided herself on her cool intellect and her ability to approach life scientifically and rationally, so the jealousy that filled her was unexpected—and uncomfortable—given the circumstances. She felt sympathy for the other woman, but that sympathy didn’t extend to sharing her Jack O’Neill.

Through the mirror, Sam could tell that O’Neill was kissed more than he was kissing; standing passive during the intimate exchange. Sam wondered why he allowed it, why didn’t he just move away? But he didn’t and she watched, helpless frustration eating away at her. When it ended, Doctor Carter didn’t look any happier, if anything she looked sadder, and when her lips moved, Sam wondered what her twin said—and what the Colonel said in reply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a universal constant that it was the small things that made the biggest difference, like Hammond keeping the post-mission briefing mercifully short. Jack figured the General was just relieved that their two visitors were no longer his problem. Daniel would have expounded longer, but Hammond had cut him off, dismissing them and stating he’d read the details in their mission reports. Hammond disappeared into his office, the door shutting firmly behind him. Jack sank back down into his chair; he could just make out the General sitting down at his desk and reaching for the red phone, no doubt to reassure the president that the SGC wasn’t compromised.

Daniel blinked, pushing up his glasses. “All right, then,” he murmured, picking up the controller for the quantum mirror off the table in front of him. “I better get this to a safe place.”

“I shall accompany you, Daniel Jackson.”

“Good idea,” Jack said. He waited until the two men were almost out the door when he added,” Just be careful with that thing.” A comment that earned him a frown from Daniel, who still seemed remarkably unruffled by the whole experience. But then again, he was the one with all the experience with alternate realities.

Teal’c had also made his feelings pretty clear regarding the whole matter. Jack didn’t think he’d ever witnessed anything quite as chilling as Teal’c killing his alternate reality self. It made his head hurt just contemplating the field day the base shrink would have if that little detail of their mission was ever made public. None of which helped the headache that threatened each time he considered all the implications of yet another alternate reality.

The whole mess had been damn awkward…which left him with Carter. She too, sat back down after the General dismissed them. She was looking down, apparently absorbed in whatever notes she’d scribbled on the pad in front of her. He tried not to imagine her with long hair, but all he could see when he tried was the photograph of Doctor Carter—and the smiling, happy look on the face of the man with her.

The photo had shocked him, not because of what it portrayed, but because of the jealousy that flashed through him when he’d recognized the happy couple. It had been a long time since Jack had felt that particular emotion in regards to a woman and it seemed the ultimate irony that he was jealous of himself. Disbelief, confusion or surprise should have topped the list of emotions, and they had when SG1 had first encountered an alternate reality. But over the last two years things had changed…he had changed. And instead of denying the possibility of any kind of relationship between him and Sam, he wondered now if those other realities didn’t have it right and his reality had it wrong.

Sam had been unusually silent during the debriefing and he wondered again how she was really doing with the whole alternate reality bit because in spite of their success, he felt like he was still floundering. “You okay, Carter?”

Her head shot up and she looked around the empty table in apparent confusion before she answered slowly, “I’m not sure.” Her blue eyes focused on him and she surprised him she asked, “What about your, sir? How are you dealing with this whole twin thing?”

“Got a couple hours?” He wasn’t being flip, he wasn’t even trying to be funny. He’d let an earlier opportunity to slip through his fingers, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.

She didn’t answer right away, her expression thoughtful and he was already plotting his next move when she said, “Yeah, I do.”

“Good,” he said, standing up. “Meet at the elevators in fifteen minutes?” Jack figured that was just enough time for her to change but not enough time for her to change her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They ended up in a small coffee shop nestled in a strip mall not far from where Jack knew Sam lived. He’d toyed briefly with inviting her to his place, but quickly discarded that idea; better to start in a neutral location. The shop was part of a local chain and not too busy, the evening lighting mellow and conducive for those who wanted to linger and talk over coffee and pastries. She wouldn’t let him pay for her mocha latte and he ordered a regular coffee—house blend—while she chose a table in a relatively secluded corner where they could both sit with an unobstructed view.

There were only a few other customers, what looked like a college-aged girl with earphones in frowned intently at an open laptop, taking the occasional sip out of some kind of iced coffee drink. Two women sat at a nearby table, their expressions intense as they carried on a conversation in hushed voices. And then there was the two of them. No one paid them any attention after they sat down, the two clerks busy with a thriving drive-up window business, not finding it necessary to worry about the inside customers once their orders were filled.

Sam had her leather jacket slung over one of the empty chairs at their table and Jack followed suit, sitting down cross-wise from her. She was dressed as casually as he was, wearing a V-neck blue sweater over her black turtleneck and jeans, her short hair curling around her face. When she caught him looking at her, she shifted, one slim hand brushing almost nervously at her hair, tucking a few strands behind one ear before she clasped them both around her latte. The gesture reassured Jack that she wasn’t as calm and cool as she appeared.

“So, pretty bizarre, eh?” As an opening gambit it seemed kind of lame, but he figured it was a start.

A ghost of a smile flitted across Sam’s face before she answered. “Yeah…I guess that’s as good a word as any.” She looked down, fidgeting for a moment with the sleeve around the paper cup before she looked up. “What was it like over there?”

Jack shrugged. “Pretty much the same. Apophis had a goatee.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Hammond was still bald.”

She didn’t smile like he expected, her serious expression almost wistful. “And Samantha had long hair.”

Jack frowned, it seemed an odd thing for her to say, but then he had brought up the whole subject of hair. He took a sip of his cooling coffee to stall for time while he tried to figure out how best to attack the subject of her twin when she suddenly blurted out, “What was it like with her?”

Setting his coffee down and feeling like he’d been dropped into the middle of a mine field, he cautiously asked, “What do you mean?”

“You spent a lot of time with her.” She looked up from her coffee cup, her expression melancholy. “She obviously cares a lot for you.”

“I’m not him.”

“What?”

“I’m not him, Sam.” He was really getting kind of tired of trying to convince everyone he wasn’t that other guy. He was just who he was, a guy doing a job and doing his best to get by. “I’m not her Jack O’Neill, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself otherwise.”

“You kissed her.” She didn’t look sad any more; she looked impatient and her blue eyes flashed with accusation.

“She kissed me,” he protested weakly.

“And that makes if different how?”

“Don’t ask me! You know I get confused.”

“Oh, that’s right,” she snapped. She stood up and Jack really was genuinely confused when she grabbed her jacket, pulling it on with angry movements. “Jack O’Neill gets ‘confused’ when he doesn’t want to talk about something.”

“Carter.” His voice held an edge of warning to it. He thought she’d wanted to talk, so how come they were arguing?

“Oh please,” she said sharply. “Don’t pull rank on me now, Jack. I thought we could talk about this…this thing between us. But I guess I was mistaken.”

Stunned by her outburst, Jack was slow to react and as a result just sat there as she muttered, “Oh, never mind,” and grabbed her purse, storming out of the coffee shop. The two women at the nearby table had stopped talking and were openly staring at them, even the college girl looked up when the door slammed shut behind Sam. Crap, this wasn’t how their talk was supposed to go, he just stared after her, unable to believe she would just walk away from him.

Finally, the reality that she was going to get away galvanized Jack into action and he jumped to his feet almost toppling over his chair. The two clerks behind the counter stared at him now and he headed quickly towards the door, pulling on his jacket. The brisk air smacked him in the face and he looked frantically around the parking lot for Sam. He spotted her just as she gunned the motor on her car, reversing out of her parking spot. In what would probably go down as one of his more reckless moves, Jack ran out into the parking lot and stood directly in her path, held out his arms and shouted, “Sam!”

She braked sharply, stopping just feet from him and he shaded his eyes from the headlights shining directly on him. She looked pissed, more than that, she looked like she’d happily run him over. In yet another reckless move, Jack jogged to the passenger door, thanking his lucky stars that her older model didn’t have automatic door locks, grabbing the door handle and quickly sliding into the front seat before she could drive off. In the dashboard light, Jack could see her mouth tighten, but she didn’t say anything, shifting the car into gear and driving out of the parking lot.

Jack quickly fastened his seatbelt when she turned sharply out of the parking lot, her tires almost squealing as she sped down the street. He gripped at the dash when she made a quick left turn and he was thankful the traffic was light—and that there weren’t any police around. He gave her a cautious look, her mouth was still set in that same stern line and she drove with an icy control that he had only glimpsed in her a few times.

Several tense minutes later, the car jerked to a stop in front of a modest looking bungalow and without a word, she yanked the keys out of the ignition and jumped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind her and leaving him in the car. If her intent was to piss him off too, she’d finally succeeded. Jack could be a patient guy, but she had pushed him beyond his limit. In fact, the whole damn alternate reality crap had pushed him beyond his limit and Sam’s uncharacteristic behavior was the icing on his freaking cake.

She had wanted to talk, hell, she’d all but initiated their coffee klatch and damn it, they were going to talk. Sam was almost to the front porch before Jack leaped out of the car and sprinted up the lawn. His advantage disappeared about the time she looked over her shoulder when the car door slammed. She took the steps two at a time and skidded to stop at the door, but Jack moved faster, his hand closing over hers just as she turned the key in the lock. She jerked away from him, twisting at the door knob and shouldering the door open but he caught her around the waist with one strong arm before she could slip away from him.

He used her forward momentum to propel them through the doorway; she lashed out with one of her feet, but he was expecting the move and using his greater strength, he easily controlled her struggles, pinning her gently against the wall in her foyer. She continued to struggle and he leaned more heavily against her back, kicking the door shut behind him. She didn’t give up easily and he regretted that their ‘talk’ had come to this, but her reaction in the coffee shop only made him more determined.

As it was…he took a deep breath, fighting to slow his breathing. But god, it was hard, he was vividly aware of her; pressed up against her as he was, he could feel very movement—no matter how slight—as she slowly gave up, her tense muscles relaxing beneath him. Her hair brushed against his face when she turned her head, resting her cheek against the wall. Jack inhaled deeply, the scent of her shampoo and light fragrance she wore completely different from the way the other Samantha had smelled. They were two completely different women and it amazed him that as intelligent as she was, she couldn’t see that.

Her breathing eventually calmed down and when she shifted restlessly, he tightened the arm still around her waist, leaning his chest more heavily against her back. It was quiet in her house, the only sound their breathing. A faint light shone from somewhere down the hall, providing enough light for him to see her face. She had her eyes closed and her back moved against him in a ragged breath. “What do you want, Jack?”

Jack was surprised, in spite of her position, she didn’t sound defeated, she still sounded mad as hell at him. He got now that she was mad and maybe it was time he found out why. “What has you pissed off the most, Carter?” he murmured in her ear. “The fact that she kissed me or that she had what you want?”

“You arrogant bastard,” she hissed. She started struggling again, almost twisting out of his grasp and he made a quick grab for her wrists, forcing her hands against the wall and once more pinning her in place.

Once she was quiet again, he leaned into her and pressed his cheek against hers. Her skin was so soft, an intriguing contrast to her firm muscles and hidden strength, but in spite of what the Air Force demanded of them, he never ever forgot she was a woman. And god help both of them, he’d come this far and there was no turning back now—for either of them. Jack rubbed his roughened jaw lightly against her cheek, his voice a low growl when he finally spoke into the tense silence. “’Cause that’s what pisses me off. That poor bastard had her, even if it was only for a year, while I’ve got nothing.”

Sam inhaled sharply, her muscles tensing beneath him; but this time instead of using his strength to continue to overpower her, he relaxed slightly himself, moving his body against hers in a subtle caress. His hips were pressed firmly against her ass and the contact was producing the inevitable reaction in him. He tried very hard not to think of Sam in that way, and most of the time he was successful, but since meeting Doctor Carter, it seemed all he could think about was what it would be like with Sam. To kiss her…to touch her…to have her writhing naked beneath him on cool white sheets until they both went up in flames.

And she was definitely aware of him, because she went completely still and he could barely hear her when she whispered, “Is that what you want? Someone like her?”

If he lived to be a hundred, Jack would never understand how someone so smart could miss something that seemed so obvious. “No,” he murmured, letting his lips brush against her cheek and she shivered. “Not someone like her. Someone like you.”

This time when she moved, he loosened his grip, letting his hands slide down her arms as she turned and faced him, her body rubbing against his in what could only have been a deliberate move on her part. She tugged at one hand and he released it, trying to read the expression on her face as her hand lightly traveled up his chest and caressed his cheek, before coming to rest gently on his neck. “I don’t want there to be any….” She paused, her lips curving in a slight smile and he suppressed a moan when her nails raked lightly at his nape. “…confusion about this.”

“I agree, I wouldn’t want there to be any confusion about this at all,” Jack rumbled, lowering his head and watching in fascination as her eyes darkened. “First I’m going to kiss you,” he murmured, his lips just brushing against hers. She moaned softly and the surge of lust that rushed through him almost brought him to his knees and to compensate, he leaned more heavily against her. Sam’s head fell back against the wall when he kissed his way across her jaw to her ear. “And then,” he whispered, nuzzling at her neck, “we’ll go to your bedroom and I’ll lay you down across your bed and slowly strip off all your clothes.”

He bit at her neck and she moaned again, her hips arching into his when he sucked lightly, teasing her soft flesh. Jack instinctively rocked his hips back against hers; god, he’d never been so aroused in his entire life and they hadn’t even kissed yet. “And then I’m going—”

The hand still at his nape tightened suddenly in his hair and Sam groaned, jerking his head back, her eyes dark and wild. “For god’s sake, Jack! I thought I’d never have to say this to you, but shut up and kiss me!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he rumbled, capturing her lips in a kiss that was nothing like the one he’d recently shared with Doctor Carter. The feel of that Carter’s mouth had meant nothing to him and even though he had sensed the woman’s desperation, he hadn’t lied to her and returned her kiss. But now he was the desperate one, he wasn’t confused anymore and he was determined to bind her to him so tightly she’d never be free. He wrapped one arm firmly around her shoulders, the other fastening low around waist, holding her tightly against him as they kissed.

It was difficult to think straight with Sam’s tongue in his mouth and beyond that, all he could think of was her naked…in bed…now. One hand was still fisted in his short hair, the other had worked its way under his shirt, her fingers splayed out against the small of his back. No matter how fantastic it was to finally be kissing her, it had to end eventually and when it did, and Sam was pressing breathless kisses into his throat, he opened his eyes. As tempting as it was to think about just pushing her back against the wall and taking her right there, it really wasn’t what he wanted for their first time.

Jack didn’t know the layout of her house, but he figured her bedroom had to be down the hallway somewhere, so he started edging his way that direction. It was slow going, given Sam’s seeming reluctance to move, or maybe it was just her reluctance to let go of him that hampered their progress.

“Sam,” he mumbled, the return of her lips garbling the word. He moaned, giving into the tempting sweetness of her mouth for long minutes before dragging his mouth away. She groaned softly in protest, her mouth once more seeking his and it took all his considerable will power to resist her. “Sam,” he said more forcefully this time, stilling her questing lips by framing her face between his hands—it didn’t help that they were trembling.

Dazed blue eyes focused on him and his resolve almost disappeared when her lips curved in a slow and very satisfied looking smile. “Jack,” she said slowly, drawing out his name as if enjoying the taste of it on her tongue.

Now that he had her attention, he moved his hands leisurely across her shoulders and down her arms, lacing his fingers with hers. “Bedroom.”

Desire flashed in her eyes, but then they turned serious and she said, “This isn’t some alternate reality, Jack. If we do this, everything changes. There’s no quantum mirror or magic reset button.”

“I know exactly which reality I’m in,” he assured her, tightening his grip. “The only one that matters.”

“In that case” she murmured, “the bedroom is this way.”

Jack followed her down the dark hallway, barely aware of his surroundings. On one level, part of him still took stock of the basic set-up of her house, unconsciously assessing layout, entrances and exits; but once the door to her bedroom closed and the bedside lamp flared on, his entire focus narrowed down to the woman standing in front of him. She was beautiful and everything he wanted in a woman from her regulation short blonde hair to her combat boots, all wrapped in her amazing intellect. There really wasn’t any comparison, Jack decided. He could no more have substituted Doctor Carter for his major than he could have been substituted for her dead husband.

The woman who sometimes aggravated him, tolerated him, was way smarter than him, who followed him into hell and back and had saved his life in more ways than she would ever know was the only Samantha Carter he wanted. And she was standing by her bed looking at him as if he were the answer to all her prayers.

With the look in her eyes whatever last remaining hesitation he had regarding the wisdom of his current position vanished and he quickly took the few steps that brought him to her, sweeping her back into his arms. Jack had never felt surer of anything in his life than how he felt with Sam in his arms, her body pressed tightly to his and their mouths meeting in a kiss that promised eternity. But in the present, nothing mattered more than having her naked in his arms.

Sam didn’t seem to mind when his mouth left hers and he grabbed for the hem of her sweater, lifting her arms over her head as he pulled both her tops off. He tossed them aside and she shook her head, her hair tousled from his hands and her clothing. She reached for the fastening of her bra, but he caught her hands, growling, “Let me.” Her eyes darkened and she nodded, stepping closer to him and resting her head against his shoulder. Jack lightly trailed his fingers up her spine and she trembled, her breath catching in a soft moan. Releasing the hooks, Jack tugged at the straps and she straightened up, letting the bra fall down her arms and onto the floor.

God, she was beautiful and he could only stare in wonder, maybe he was in another reality, but at this point he was beyond caring, until she spoke, breaking the spell.

“Jack.”

That one plaintive word was all it took, that and the look in her eyes, and then her hands met his at the hem of his shirt and with a minimum fumbling and a few softly muttered curses when his boot laces knotted, they were naked in her bed. She was soft and firm in all the right places, her strong arms and legs cradling him as he moved over her, their lips meeting in a more leisurely kiss now that they were finally in each others arms again. Her skin tasted sweet and clean, her kisses eager and confident, nothing like the sad and painful kiss he’d shared with her twin. Jack took a deep breath, shaking off the memory; his reality was right here and having his Sam in his arms was so much more intense than anything he’d ever imagined.

Their movements flowed together seamlessly, reading the nuance of an expression or touch just as easily in bed as they did in battle. And she was at once as strong as any warrior yet surrendering to him and their shared passion with a grace that humbled him. There was so much he wanted to tell her, share with her, but then her hands were gliding down his body, tugging at his hips, pulling him closer and he was the one who surrendered.

Jack was sure he’d never experienced a more perfect moment than the one when he finally slid into her welcoming body. She moaned his name, her arms holding him tightly to her, her hips rising up to meet his. But then he started to move and with every tug and pull of her flesh around his, he realized perfection was every moment in her arms. Jack wanted it to be as perfect for her as it was for him, but even he knew that first times—no matter how great the resolve—oftentimes left something to be desired. “Sam,” he groaned, shifting so he could caress her more intimately, “help me.”

Their hands met and he followed her lead, watching enthralled for an all too brief moment when it happened for Sam, her face suffused with ecstasy and his name a breathless cry on her lips before he too was swept up in her passion. Satisfied with her release, Jack released his restraint and thrust heavily into her, driving deep and pressing her slender body into the mattress. She cradled him with her strong arms and legs, taking all of him, his release crashing endlessly through him until he lay weak and trembling in her arms.

Her fingers stroked lightly through his hair and he moaned softly, nestling deeper into her embrace. He knew he had to be heavy and should really move off her, but it felt too good and since she didn’t seem to mind, he didn’t move. He felt her lips brush in a warm kiss against his throat and she murmured, “Some reality, huh?”

Jack didn’t need to see her to hear the satisfaction in her voice, but he turned head anyway, rising up so he could see her face. He was right, she looked very satisfied, her blue eyes drowsy and indulgent. “If it was anymore real, I think we’d both be dead.”

His faint arrogance didn’t seem to bother her; she merely smiled and stretched, a languid movement that caught him by surprise when a latent tremor of pleasure flowed through him. Her smile was knowing and when she pushed lightly at his shoulder, he took the hint and gently rolled off her. Jack wasn’t sure he had an expectations beyond the moment and uncertainty started to seep into his contentment until Sam shifted, snuggling against his side, her head resting on his chest. She sighed softly, tugging the sheet up over them and he relaxed, stroking her hair. If the evidence from the other realities was anything to go by, he figured he already knew how this whole scenario was going to end.

“So,” he ventured tentatively. “Is this one of those forks in the road?”  
She chuckled and rubbed her cheek against his chest. “So you’re a believer in quantum theory now?”

Jack considered her question carefully, letting his hand glide down her back in a slow caress. Their choice had been made, they had diverted down one of those side roads. And he couldn’t help but wonder if there were alternate-alternate-alternate reality versions of himself out there who had made the other choice and would never experience the incredible pleasure he felt right now, with Sam warm against his side and in his arms.

He’d leave the quantum theory to the scientists, he didn’t need a theory to explain his feelings, and he already knew they were the result of something even more basic to the universe. “Let’s just say I know which reality is actually real.”

THE END


End file.
